Across the street (but just out of reach)
by klayn
Summary: I saw a post on tumblr about a tattoo artist/florist au and decided to make it into a cs fic.


It had been quite a few years since Killian had left the Navy, but one of the few habits that had remained with him was rising early, so when his alarm went off at 6:30, Killian stumbled his way into his shorts, t-shirt, and running shoes, and went on his usual morning jog. By the time he was finished running a mile, the sun was starting to peek above the rooftops of the buildings, so he quickly showered, changed into his typical work outfit- dark jeans, plain black t-shirt, and a leather jacket, all underneath a florist's apron- and quickly microwaved a cheese-and-sausage wrap for breakfast, before going downstairs to his flower shop.

If someone had told Killian 15 years ago that he would be single, the owner of a flower shop, and that he would be happy about it, he would have laughed and told the person that they were insane. He had been planning on proposing to Milah, his long-term girlfriend, and he was going to join the Navy, like his older brother Liam, and he had in fact done both. However, he'd had his heart broken when he learned that Milah had been cheating on him, and after he'd joined the Navy, his brother had been killed in action, driving Killian to leave the Navy. He'd drifted for a while before he'd come to the quaint little town of Storybrooke, Maine, and decided to settle down there.

Not long after he arrived, he became friends with Malcolm Pan, the elderly owner of the flower shop "Tiger Lilies", and when Malcolm had started talking about how tending the flower shop by himself was getting harder every day, Killian had offered to help him out. Malcolm took him up on the offer, and Killian eventually became quite happy.

A few years ago, however, Malcolm had died, leaving Killian the shop and apartment above it. Killian had mourned- Malcolm had been a good friend- but had eventually moved, and just in time for Emma Swan to move to Storybrooke and open up the tattoo parlor "Sea of Ink" in the building across the street from his.

From the first moment he'd seen her, Killian was drawn to Emma. Maybe it was the fact that she was gorgeous- glimpses of tattooed skin, curly blond hair, sparkling green eyes, a brilliant smile, with tight jeans and a red leather jacket on top- or maybe it was the fact that she had the same look in her eyes as he did- the look of someone who had loved, and lost, and built walls around her heart because of it. Either way, Emma Swan was someone that Killian wanted to get to know.

However, that had been almost a year ago and for some reason, Killian hadn't been able to muster up the courage to talk to Emma, let alone ask her out. All of the times he'd tried to approach her, she was either with someone, or she was busy, or she was giving off a "don't come near me" vibe, so Killian had never had a chance to really say anything to her aside from "Hello, Swan," as she was walking into her tattoo shop.

The door of Killian's shop jangled, and Killian looked up to see that he had a customer. He sighed a little bit, then smiled, helping the young man pick get some flowers for his wife.

The rest of the day passed in a blur- albeit a blur that involved getting glimpses of Emma Swan, working in her shop or running out to get lunch- and Killian was just starting to close up when he heard the door opening one last time.

"Mate, I'm closing in 5 minutes," he said without looking up.

"I know," came Emma's voice, and Killian froze. "Um- I need to buy flowers."

"For what?" asked Killian. "A date?"

"Maybe," Emma replied after a few seconds. "What are your favorite flowers?"

Killian turned around, struggling to keep the smile on his face as his heart sank to the floor. Emma was going on a date, and he had lost his chance to ask her out, and he decided to try going to a bar tonight instead of staying at home.

"I quite like buttercups and violets, although I don't think that most guys would like them," Killian said.

"I'll take a 10 of each," replied Emma. As Killian went to collect the flowers, Emma asked, "Why do you like them?"

"Firstly, they're very colorful, and they go well together. They're also easy to take care of," answered Killian. He tied up the flowers and handed them to her. "That'll be $8.95."

Emma handed over a $10 bill, and Killian put it in the cash register and handed her the change. "Have- fun on your date."

Emma smiled, then took a deep breath and held out the flowers to Killian, who froze, unsure of what was going on. "Do you- what are you doing?"

"Willyougoonadatewithme?" Emma rushed out.

Killian stared at her in shock. Emma seemed to take this as a rejection, because she withdrew her hand and started to turn around.

"Emma- Emma, yes," said Killian hurriedly. "I- you just took me by surprise. I'd _love_ to go on a date with you."

Emma turned back to face him, a brilliant smile on her face, and Killian felt himself fall a little more in love with her. "Just- I'll just go put the flowers upstairs and get ready."

"I'll be here," replied Emma, and Killian quickly took the flowers and went upstairs. He decided to change into a nicer shirt and vest, and quickly brushed his teeth and hair, and went back downstairs.

Killian took a moment to admire Emma as he reentered the shop. Instead of her usual jeans, blouse, and sweater or leather jacket, Emma had on a soft pink dress, and her hair was hanging in loose curls down her back, instead of up in her usual ponytail. "So where were you planning on going, love?" he asked.

Emma, who had been smelling some roses, turned around and her mouth dropped open a little, which gratified Killian. "Um…my friend Ruby made a reservation for us at Gepetto's in…half an hour."

"Why would your friend have to make reservations?" asked Killian as he and Emma exited the shop.

"Because she knew I wouldn't ask you out otherwise." At Killian's shocked look, she continued, "You're almost intimidatingly hot. It's why I haven't talked to you a lot."

"Honestly, love, I prefer the term "dashing"- and Emma laughed- "but I would have approached you sooner if I'd known my interest in you was reciprocated. You're not the only one who was scared to talk."

"It seems like we're talking just fine now," Emma replied.

"I guess I'll have to thank Ruby for that. Do you know what kind of flowers she likes?" asked Killian with a smile.


End file.
